Safety is one of the fastest growing fields in Canada and the world. The market for new safety products and implemented procedures is growing at a phenomenal rate. The broadly accepted ideology in the construction, mining and maintenance sectors is that any new level of protection for workers and companies in general is welcomed with open arms.
The Canadian Nuclear safety commission regulates the safety equipment that is worn by nuclear energy workers. Industrial Radiographers use isotopes that give off Gamma radiation as well as use x-ray machines in order to radiograph materials and objects. They are required by law to wear 3 objects that record/warn the person of what radiation dose and quantity they are being exposed to. These three items are:    1) TLD (Thermo-Luminescent dosimeter) also known as a film badge. This is a small device that accurately measures the person's total absorbed dose. These are sent into Health Canada every two weeks by law for every nuclear energy worker to monitor short term and lifetime dose.    2) PAD (personal Alarming Dosimeter) This device gives a reading of the actual dose-rate (real-time) as well as gives off and audible warning that changes frequency with the dose-rate.    3) DRD (Direct Read Dosimeter) This is a device that records absorbed dose to a certain limit, can be read then reset to zero in the field.
It has been proposed in previous patents to incorporate radiation detection into safety glasses worn by the nuclear energy worker.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,996 teaches a set of protective eyewear incorporating a chip holder supported on the eyewear frame and configured to receive a theremoluminescent dosimetry chip, which can be removed and read after a period of time in order to measure facial exposure to radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,700 also incorporates a radiation detection solution into a pair of eyeglasses, but instead of a theremoluminescent dosimetry chip that requires regular monitoring and provides no instantaneous feedback on radiation exposure levels, a Geiger-Muller tube is used to detect radiation and trigger electronic lights to provide real-time visual feedback on radiation levels, including warning signals when dangerous radiation levels are detected. However, the system requires a significant number of electrical components in order to operate.
Other patents relating to radiation detection on a pair of eyeglasses include U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,054 and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2011/0116076, but these references deal with detection of Ultraviolet radiation, and thus do not provide solutions for warning users of ionizing radiation.
There remains room for improvement in the area of ionizing radiation detection and warning devices.